Part of Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk

Date: 2012-00-00

Region: Derbyshire

From: Osmaston

Walk: Circular

OS Sheet: Explorer 259

Parking at: Osmaston

Grid: 201 436

Distance:   9.25 mls 14.9 km

Height Gain: 815 ft   248 m

Height Loss: 815 ft   248 m

Walking With: Mrs G & Katie

Notes: Tracks, roads and fields, gates and stiles some poor, poor marking

Route

From the pond in Osmaston take the middle track to Shirley, through the village pick up the track to Wormsley and on to the Hall near Ardsley. Turn right across fields to Park Style Farm, Rodsleywood cross the road on path up to the track along the ridge  above Shirley Farm. Turn left along the track towards Wyaston Grove, turn right down the hill and right again taking the path curving left up to Osmaston.

Journey

I planned this walk a few weeks ago while looking at the map trying to find somewhere different to walk in the Peaks. I spotted the Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk, this purports to be the general route taken by Prince Charles Edward Stuart on his march on Derby, from Ashbourne, in 1745. 

Osmaston is a small village less than a day’s march from Ashbourne So using a section of the BPCW from Osmaston through Shirley to Ardsley Church I devised a circular walk along part of PCW and back via circuitous and slightly forced route back to Osmaston.

Unfortunately other than the warm sunny day a very quiet with a pleasant pastoral scene by the lake a mile from the start it was quite a dull walk and a bit tedious.

However, it was a steady nine miles, which was fine and it went up and down a few hills so it did give us the exercise we needed and showed up how unfit we had become. Other than that we could find little to say in its favour, it was lacking in views or interest with poor sign posting, dodgy stiles and too many slurry pits and ploughed fields.

Osmaston village and pond is quite attractive and there were plenty of people around, possibly because, as we were told, there had been a big wedding at the Church.

Clearly it is very difficult to determine what makes a walk good or not, I delayed posting this as I was unsure that posting  "quite a dull walk and a bit tedious" was the right thing to do. However, dwelling on it a bit and talking with Mrs G and Andy I resolved that I should post all my walks and leave it to others to decide to walk them or not and therefore decide on their merit. (But I do think a warning is sometimes necessary)